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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. fall — the season
  3. mug — a face
  4. rest — a break
  5. clip — for paper
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. mug — to rob
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. mug — a cup
  12. clip — to cut
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fall — to drop
  15. clip — a video
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. rest — what's left
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wake — a trail
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. plane — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com